Liopleurodon
Liopleurodon was one of the smaller pliosaurs. Its body would have cruised silently through the shallow seas of the late Jurassic, propelled by its flapping flippers. Its size is a topic of considerable debate; the largest pliosaur specimens are not attributed to the Liopleurodon genus and are 18 m long. The longest confirmed Liopleurodon fossils are estimated to have grown up to 8 meters (though The Complete Guide To Prehistoric Life inaccurately says 18). Facts They are awe-inspiring sea monsters. Liopleurodon was a hunter. Its long jaws and rows of needle-sharp teeth would have made 10 foot marine crocodiles, the giant fish Leedsichthys, ichthyosaurs and even other pliosaurs vulnerable to attack. )]] ''Liopleurodon's nose allowed it to smell underwater. This allowed Liopleurodon to smell its prey from some distance away. Despite needing to breath air, Liopleurodon spent its entire life at sea and was unable to leave the water. Consequently, it would have given birth to its young alive and may have visited shallower water to breed. They also have a really acute sense of smell. Young Liopleurodon live in shallow water. Their short neck helps them be more powerful and that’s when they can tear off chunks of flesh. They too can detect their prey’s distress from a distance. Liopleurodon ''have a directional sense of smell. Two separate chambers in their nose work in the same way as a pair of ears, pinpointing exactly where a smell is coming from. A sophisticated tracking device stirring the largest carnivorous jaws ever known. Each one of ''Liopleurodons four flippers is over three meters long, giving them enough power to guide their huge bulk effortlessly through the water. They can take one giant gulp of air then descend to the depths. There, they can hold their breath for over an hour. Liopleurodon are fiercely territorial about their hunting areas, and confrontations almost always end in violence. Appearances in the programmes ''Walking With Dinosaurs Pilot ''Liopleurodon ''appeared in the pilot stranded on a beach like at the end of ''Cruel Sea. ''Cruel Sea '')]]An old bull ''Liopleurodon was first seen snatching a fishing Eusteptospondylus off of dry land and performing a death roll on it in order to kill it. The Liopleurodon returned underwater and ate the Eustreptospondylus. The bull was later seen lurking in the depths when several female Ophthalmosaurus were giving birth to their pups. As one mother struggled to push out her pup, the Liopleurodon attacked and killed the mother and her pup. Afterwards, he swam off. One month later, the bull Liopleurodon was seen taking in air and then returned to the depths. Then, a female Liopleurodon invaded his territory. The bull aggressively confronted the female and ripped one of her flippers. The female then swam off, leaving a trail of blood that several Hybodus sharks followed. Months later, after a severe storm, the bull Liopleurodon was left beached on the sea shore. As his weight suffocated him, he slowly died. His corpse was feasted on by several Eustreptospondylus. ''Sea Monsters Sea Monsters, Episode 3 An adult ''Liopleurodon was seen feeding off of a dead Leedsichthys before swimming off. Later, Nigel Marven later tested two different chemicals to see which was better at repelling attacking Liopleurodon. During the tests, two juvenile Liopleurodon attacked a dummy filled with squid. The first chemical did nothing whilst the second (putrizene) repelled the Liopleurodon. )]]During the night, Nigel found a pod of ''Liopleurodon feeding on the Leedsichthys carcass. One came too close and Nigel ejected putrizene from his diving suit and repelled it. The pod then swam off full. ''Walking With Dinosaurs: Inside Their World ''Liopleurodon is one of the viewable Plesiosaurs in the app. Appearances In Other Media Toys Many toys of Liopleurodon share almost the same or similar design as its depiction in the Walking with... series. ''Primeval'' Read more at the Anomaly Research Centre Liopleurodon first appeared in the novel The Lost Island where one came through an anomaly in Guns Island. It made a physical appearance in 5X02, where it traveled in pods. Its appearance in TV series was never said on screen and was only confirmed by the producers. Merchandise A toy of Liopleurodon was made by Toyway for their Walking with Dinosaurs line. Trivia *''Liopleurodon'' is clearly shown to be the largest carnivore ever due to the fact that the 10-meter Eustreptospondylus was the same length as the Liopleurodon's head and a pliosaur's head is usually a fifth of it's body length. 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